Tori Oehrlein gave us a night to remember

I've been to hundreds of girls basketball games across Minnesota, but none quite like Tuesday night's contest at Crosby-Ironton High School. As the kids like to say, it was a thing. An historic occasion. A record-breaking performance. And the celebration of a player who is truly one of a kind. January 20, 2026 will be remembered as the date when Tori Oehrlein Tori Oehrlein 5'11" | CG Crosby-Ironton | 2026 State #56 Nation MN etched her name in the record books as the greatest scorer in the history of Minnesota girls basketball. It was a privilege to be there.

“I'm just grateful to do it here in Crosby around the community that we have,” Oehrlein said in a post-game media gathering. “I'm grateful that all my family members were here, my coaches, and just doing it in front of the amazing people who have supported me along the way ever since I was little.”

What Oehrlein did was break Rebekah Dahlman's career scoring record of 5,060 points, a high-water mark the former Braham guard established in 2013. The milestone moment came with 4 minutes and 28 seconds remaining in the first half as Tori drove down the lane to score on an and-one. The packed gym erupted and the game was paused for a long while as Crosby-Ironton coach Pete Vukelich took to the microphone and played a tribute slideshow.

Then Dahlman stepped on the floor to congratulate the new record holder, delivering a large bouquet of flowers and a gracious speech. When asked what was the highlight of her night, Oehrlein said that was it. “That was really special,” Tori said. “I didn't know she was coming until two hours before the game, and it meant a lot to me, knowing that she was supporting me. It was just an honor to meet her and be in the same gym with her. She was just so sweet.”

Vukelich agreed. “I thought it was a phenomenal touch for her to be here,” he said, “and to do it in front of the home crowd. If you know Crosby, we're a basketball community. I graduated in 2008 here, and half the town shut down when we made it to the state championship game. It has never changed. It's rich in culture, a real basketball community. So for the girls, for the all-time leading scorer to come from here, I think it's pretty incredible.”

No ordinary evening

From the moment Ally McGinnis and I walked into the gym more than an hour before the 7 p.m. tipoff, it was obvious this wasn't going to be business as usual. A press row had been temporarily constructed on one side of the gym for media members attending from around the state. There were hundreds of people already on hand – the largest crowd I can remember for a JV game – and there was a distinct buzz in the air.

There was little doubt that the record would be broken on this night. Tori needed 33 points to do it. Against a Mille Lacs team that has won just four games this season while suffering a number of lopsided losses, it was clear from the opening tip that they would not be able to contain her.

Her first bucket came 37 seconds in with a runner in the lane. At the 15:55 mark she scored on a put-back. Just over 30 seconds later she cashed in on a transition two that was quickly followed by two more put-backs and an and-one. Oehrlein was off and running. At the 6:27 mark she sprinted the length of the floor to score at the rim and reach 30 points.

With just three more points required, Tori went into Caitlin Clark mode and launched a long-distance three-point attempt at the 6:05 mark. It clanked off the front rim. Shortly thereafter she did the same thing. And then again. “I just felt a little bit like I was forcing it,” she said, “so I just had to stop and let it come to me.”

And then it happened.

It was never about points

I think Tori was in the 6th grade the first time I watched her. As the above photo will attest, she was no ordinary 6th grader. That's right, the photo with the bale of hay was taken in the 6th grade. After returning home from Crosby late Tuesday evening, I scrolled back through the dozens of articles we've written about Tori, locating an evaluation from the Fall Exclusive posted on Sept. 26, 2020:

“We have watched Tori all summer playing two years up for Suns 2024 Blue Star and, like pretty much everyone who watches Oehrlein play, have been very impressed. The 7th grader is so smooth, with superb skills and the ability to think the game at a level that is way beyond her years. We thought it would be interesting to see what Tori would do against players closer to her own age at the Fall Exclusive. It didn't take long to find out. Despite suffering a groin injury in her opening game Friday night, Oehrlein came back in the second game to demonstrate clearly that she is the real deal. Although there were no official stats recorded, Tori scored well over 40 points in the running-time game.”

It was obvious at the time that Oehrlein was going to be special, but nobody could have predicted 5,000 points. Vukelich was the JV coach when he saw the then 5th-grader for the first time. Asked what it is that separates Tori from the others, he said it was her work ethic.

“She's one that will be in a gym before anyone else. She'll be in a gym when everyone else is sleeping, she'll be in the gym when it's a blizzard outside. No matter what the conditions are, she needs to get a workout in, she needs to put up shots, and it shows,” he said. “But I think the most important part is how, even though she has all these points – I mean, we saw it on display tonight – there are times when she probably could have gone for 70 or 80 but she's so unselfish. I think her teammates really enjoy playing with her, and I think this community just loves watching every aspect of her.“

So true. Once the record had been broken, Oerhlein spent the rest of her evening firing long passes and making great plays for her teammates to score. Tori exited the floor with plenty of time on the clock and a game total of 57 points. It felt like she could easily have reached Gianna Kneepkens' state record of 67, but we'll never know.

“It's still a little bit hard for me to believe,” said the University of Minnesota commit. “It wasn't like scoring was ever a big thing for me. It was just passing, rebounding, doing all the little things in the game. Then knowing that the team needed me to score more was how it happened… I wouldn't be able to do it without my teammates. I'm just extremely grateful.”

A different era

So much has changed since Dahlman established the record 13 years ago. Girls basketball had a much lower profile then. Female sports in general were severely under-represented in media coverage. There was no social media. There weren't videographers on the baseline making a living posting highlight reels of top players. There certainly was nothing like Prep Girls Hoops writing about the players 365 days a year across more than 40 states.

Most of Dahlman's buckets occurred out of the limelight, and the record was not officially acknowledged by the Minnesota State High School League for several years. In contrast, Tori's entire career has been covered in minute detail. It's been so much fun watching her grow up before our eyes, transforming from a player with unique potential to an all-time great. She's also a really fun person to be around.

When the game was over and we were making our way out of the gym, it was so cool to see Mille Lacs players lining up to get autographs and selfies with the star attraction. Even in a 124-37 defeat, they handled the unique situation with class and composure. Twenty years from now, those players, the hundreds of fans in attendance, even the media will recall this night fondly. Yes, it was a thing.